Driver of Energetic Electron Precipitation in the Vicinity of Ganymede

W. Li; Q. Ma; X. -C. Shen; X. -J. Zhang; B. H. Mauk; G. Clark; F. Allegrini; W. S. Kurth; G. B. Hospodarsky; A. Sulaiman; T. A. Nordheim; S. J. Bolton

doi:10.1029/2022GL101555

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Driver of Energetic Electron Precipitation in the Vicinity of Ganymede

Journal article

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Driver of Energetic Electron Precipitation in the Vicinity of Ganymede

W. Li, Q. Ma, X. -C. Shen, X. -J. Zhang, B. H. Mauk, G. Clark, F. Allegrini, W. S. Kurth, G. B. Hospodarsky, A. Sulaiman, …

Geophysical research letters, Vol.50(6), e2022GL101555

03/28/2023

DOI: 10.1029/2022GL101555

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Abstract

The driver of energetic electron precipitation into Ganymede's atmosphere has been an outstanding open problem. During the Juno flyby of Ganymede on 7 June 2021, Juno observed significant downward-going electron fluxes inside the bounce loss cone of Ganymede's polar magnetosphere. Concurrently, Juno detected intense whistler-mode waves, both in the quasi-parallel and highly oblique directions with respect to the magnetic field line. We use quasi-linear model to quantify energetic electron precipitation driven by quasi-parallel and very oblique whistler-mode waves, respectively, in the vicinity of Ganymede. The data-model comparison indicates that in Ganymede's lower-latitude (higher-latitude) polar region, quasi-parallel whistler-mode waves play a dominant role in precipitating higher-energy electrons above similar to 100s eV (similar to 1 keV), whereas highly oblique waves are important for precipitating lower-energy electrons below 100s eV (similar to 1 keV). Our result provides new evidence of whistler-mode waves as a potential primary driver of precipitating energetic electrons into Ganymede's atmosphere.

Geology

Physical Sciences

Geosciences, Multidisciplinary

Science & Technology

Details

Title: Subtitle: Driver of Energetic Electron Precipitation in the Vicinity of Ganymede
Creators: W. Li - Boston University
Q. Ma - Boston University
X. -C. Shen - Boston University
X. -J. Zhang - Planetary Science Institute
B. H. Mauk - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
G. Clark - Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
F. Allegrini - Southwest Research Institute
W. S. Kurth - University of Iowa
G. B. Hospodarsky - University of Iowa
A. Sulaiman - University of Iowa
T. A. Nordheim - California Institute of Technology
S. J. Bolton - Southwest Research Institute
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Geophysical research letters, Vol.50(6), e2022GL101555
DOI: 10.1029/2022GL101555
ISSN: 0094-8276
eISSN: 1944-8007
Publisher: Amer Geophysical Union
Number of pages: 10
Grant note: 699041X; 80NSSC20K0557; Q99064; 80NSSC20K0196 / NASA; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
Language: English
Date published: 03/28/2023
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9984455275302771

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